Mount Waverley’s GP Graders has helped reshape the way stone fruit and other produce is sorted around the world, introducing automation to an area that’s sometimes been reluctant to embrace it. Brent Balinski spoke to the company’s Director, Stuart Payne.

While the dollar has returned from its stratospheric journey, improving competitiveness with it, some of the damage done is not going to be reversed and this is particularly the case for manufacturing.

The trend in consumer electronics has always been to make them faster, smarter, and with ever-expanding capabilities. But waterproofing has become the new focus of global electronics manufacturers and most brands are rushing to include this benefit to ensure they are not left behind in this ultra-competitive market.

It is already old news that 3D printing is going to be the next “game changer” in manufacturing; it is only a matter of when. In the last few years, there has been a surge in demand for 3D printed parts, typically plastic and metal ones – not surprising since the CAD/CAM scene has been vastly improving in recent years.

In Australia, car makers have come to be seen by many as more of a cost than a benefit, a failing industry that was too reliant on government handouts. But in the United States, many state governments have attracted foreign investment that has provided ongoing economic security.

When Ford closes the doors on its vehicle manufacturing operations today about 600 workers will walk out of the factory gate for the last time at the Broadmeadows assembly plant in Melbourne’s northern suburbs and at the company’s engine and stamping plants in Geelong. Preliminary results from a survey of more than 400 auto workers show that most of them still want to work but are unlikely to find secure, long-term jobs.

The closure of Ford’s casting plant in Geelong does make you wonder how losing the ability to make our own engines can be a step forward. Australia should take stock and contemplate what kind of society we are becoming.

Few examples of Australian tax policy are subject to as frequent change as the Research & Development tax subsidy, again under review by the federal government. Substantive changes to the rules have occurred every five of the past 20 years. By contrast, the US has had essentially the same R&D tax rules since 1990.

As was recently reported across the mainstream media and on our online daily news site www.manmonthly.com.au, the last six-cylinder and V8 engines have been produced at Geelong, completing one part of the Ford’s staged shutdown, which will tie in with the last vehicle being produced at Ford’s Broadmeadows plant on October 7.

Steel dumping is the latest accusation levelled at China in a growing backlash against the country’s influence in Australia. But dumping can be in the eye of the beholder, depending on how much your country is exporting or importing (or both) and varying government regulations.

Now is not the time for engineering companies in Australia to be ‘retiring’ experienced design engineers, project engineers, and estimators. It has not been common practice in the past to electronically harness the decades of knowledge stored in the minds of these engineers, and when they leave the workplace, all this intellectual bounty goes with them.

Heat Treatment Australia applies its expertise to high-value parts for areas including aerospace and defence, making them stronger, lighter and more durable. Brent Balinski spoke to the company about its expansion, which will see it open its new Los Angeles site in October.

Intelligent Process Automation is widely recognised as a new tool manufacturers could be leveraging to improve their bottom line. With the underpinning technology continuously evolving and advancing, it’s important to understand that automation is not limited to traditionally labour‑intensive or dangerous work, as in the case of physical robots.

Mikey MikeThis is well overdue but one of the unseen issues relates to product coming in to the country consumer direct, that is, not represented by an importer or distributor. I am aware of a situation where...

Stuart21 Best thing that could be done to help Australian manufacturers (particularly those that are inventors) would be to adopt a patent system that accords with the UNDHR; e.g. the 'One Dollar Patent' at...

Md. MoniruzzamanClean energy: Unlimited source of energy ocean tide can take a big role.
Considering the open space available in the ocean, and the tremendous amount of energy it produces, wave power could be a...

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